Addis Ababa Would LIke to Withdraw its troops Now..

[NASSIR]

This is what Power and Interest News Report drafted recently.

 

 

Addis Ababa would like to withdraw its troops and armor from Somalia as quickly as possible to avoid an armed backlash against its presence and to stop the drain on its resources; Gedi wants the Ethiopians to stay for at least a month longer to secure his position. Disarmament is unlikely to occur as the sub-clans adopt a self-protective posture, the warlords return to reclaim their former positions, and Ethiopia stays out of the picture, leaving insufficient T.F.G. forces to carry out the mission. After a day of calm in Mogadishu, gun fire has resumed, although there are no signs of insurrection.

 

 

Sooner, when Gov finds its firm hold on the Republic, Ethiopia will withdraw its troops. Please folks, do not fall to the trap of the scaremongers either in the Gov's cabinet or policitians who often demonize their adversaries' success

[General Duke]

The Ethiopians have said they want to leave because they can not maintain a long protracted stay in Somalia.

[NASSIR]

I wonder Duke why our people predict the worse for Somalia?

[General Duke]

^^They lack confidance, I guess. Some out of bitterness others because they belive Somalia is forever doomed.

[NASSIR]

If any country can impose itself on another country and redraw its border, major powers could have done it, but it is the people who decide their destiny.

 

In the Soamlia's civil war, two countries benefited from it and two countries were worsened. Ethiopoia and Somalia deteriorated and degenerated into the worse disintegration. People who are dying on the sea seeking better life in the Gulf of Aden are none but Somalis and Ethiopians. Kenya and Djibtouti benefited from Somalia's war.

[NASSIR]

Ethiopia plans to pull troops from Somalia

 

JEFFREY GETTLEMAN Published: January 2, 2007

 

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia: The prime minister of Ethiopia, Meles Zenawi, said today that his country, one of the poorest in the world, could not afford to keep its troops in neighboring Somalia much longer, and that Somalia's stability depended on the quick injection of foreign peacekeepers.

 

In a speech to parliament, in which his tone alternated between humble and triumphant, Mr. Meles said that Ethiopia had accomplished its mission to wipe out Somalia's Islamist forces, which just two weeks ago controlled a large chunk of the country and were regarded as a regional menace.

 

"We will now leave as soon as possible - it could be weeks, it could be months," he said. "We don't have the money to take this burden individually."Mr. Meles said his soldiers were not peacekeepers. They already seem to be paying the price for stepping in to Somalia's messy, violent internal politics.

 

Several residents in Jilib, a town in southern Somalia, said today that two Ethiopian soldiers were killed there in an ambush.

 

Diplomats in the region are now hurrying to cobble together an African peacekeeping force to take the place of the Ethiopian forces. But despite murmurs of commitment from several countries, including Uganda, South Africa and Nigeria, no force has yet materialized.

 

Somalia is far from stable now, with many heavy weapons still in the hands of warlords and anti-government forces, and the country's reliable level of turmoil is likely to dissuade many nations from volunteering to send troops.

 

Ali Mohammed Gedi, Somalia's transitional prime minister, repeated his plea today for all weapons to be turned in to his government, but it seemed that very few people were heeding him. The collection points set up across Mogadishu, Somalia's capital, remained empty, and many young men in the city vowed to keep their guns.

 

Meanwhile, Islamist fighters continued to flee south from Kismayo, the port city near the Kenyan border that had been their last stronghold before Monday, when the Islamist movement collapsed and its remaining followers scattered into the marshy coastland.

 

Kenyan authorities said that 10 fighters were apprehended on Monday trying to slip across the border into Kenya disguised as refugees. Eight had Eritrean passports, while two had Canadian passports, said Alfred Mutua, a spokesman for the Kenyan government; all 10 were carrying briefcases packed with cash.

 

"They definitely didn't look like refugees," Mr. Mutua said.

 

Mr. Mutua said the 10 suspects remained in Kenyan custody, and most likely would be returned to Somalia to face charges under the transitional government. But that government has yet to set up a justice system.

 

The Islamists had tried to improve their military prospects by calling for a jihad against Ethiopia, a country with a long Christian history, and by opening Somalia's doors to foreign fighters. United Nations intelligence officials estimated that several thousand fighters traveled to Somalia from Pakistan, Libya, Syria and Yemen, as well as from Eritrea, Ethiopia's arch-enemy.

 

American officials said that far fewer answered the call, but that their ranks included several wanted terrorists whom the United States was eager to capture.

 

In recent days, ships from the United States Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, have increased patrols off Somalia's coast to prevent any suspects from escaping.

 

"We want to deter terrorists from using the sea for illegal activity," said Lt. Denise Garcia, a spokeswoman for the Fifth Fleet.

 

So far, though, no suspects have been apprehended.

 

Somalia continues to be a work in progress. The country's transitional president has yet to set foot in the capital; only a handful of officials have gone to Mogadishu so far.

 

That said, though, normal life - or whatever passes for normal in a country that hasn't had a central government for 15 years - has begun to creep back to Somalia. Mr. Gedi, the transitional prime minister, announced today that the main international airport has been re-opened, though no major airlines have resumed flying there. The airport was strafed by Ethiopian jets last week.

 

Mohammed Ibrahim and Yuusuf Maxamuud contributed reporting from Mogadishu.

[General Duke]

^^^Thanks for the article.

[NASSIR]

You wlc. I expect the Gov disclaim the gaffe of Aideed Jr within 24 hrs.

[rudy-Diiriye]

2 ethio soldiers got killed today in Mog. Even Meles announced today that his tigree army will be there till the place is secured.

 

looks like another irag/afghan de je vous! as i see it, they will be there till the son-in-law of meles aka gedi secures his spot... which in xamar is next to impossible.

 

This will lead to in-fighting and disorder, making the ethio soldiers sitting ducks for the next wave of icu! can we all see the trees from the forest or all we short sighted?

[NASSIR]

Rudy, Ghedi is suspect to many people. However, I have listened to people's voices, voices with deep convictions that the president is essentially a true patriot despite his mistakes in the past. He was said to have run into counter with one of the generals who partially led this war against the Islamist behind the tacit support of United States, so Abdullahi got slapped in the face until Zenawi was called to intervene and ordered his General to be at Abdullahi's command.(Their disagreement whether to kill POW or not) I do harbor this acute presage that Abdullahi would probably be assassinated to facilitate Ghedi to assume Somalia once and for all. It is my firm conviction just as many people I have met that Abdullahi is a legitimate and honest leader and may be the last drop of our nationalist blood running in our veins and we should fully support him stay the course and lead the TFG to the end. I knew Aweis and Sharif were truly honest leaders and I even commented their quality of leadership but they had dishonest elements in their Islamic courts that frankly used Islam as a political tool, esp the man who uttered he would reach Addis Ababa within days.